Some racing experts say a series needs a shakeup to affect the natural order, while others argue that new regs favor the best combos by allowing them to show all their strengths. The second theory gained weight in 2013, thanks to the way the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team went into battle for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. New points system, new method of getting into the 10-race Chase playoffs and, most fundamentally, an all-new car...Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus had it covered.

And right from the word go, too. JJ became the first to win a championship race in the Gen-6 NASCAR, his Chevy SS opening the 36-race campaign with victory in the Daytona 500. It would be wrong to say the team never looked back from that point – there was a bleak period of four races just before the Chase – but by that time Johnson was near the top of the points standings. From the reset/go point of the Chase, he was almost flawless.

Johnson earned 40 percent of the Oval Racer of the Year votes. His strongest rival in the Sprint Cup Series, Matt Kenseth, in his first year at Joe Gibbs Racing, won more races and won a decent number of your votes, too (nine percent). But while some fans resent Johnson's continued success, it's good to see that RACER readers recognize and praise brilliance when they see it.

A word from your Oval Racer of the Year, Jimmie Johnson: "Wow. To be named the Oval Racer of the Year by the readers of RACER and RACER.com is very special to me. I've been fortunate to win this a few times before, and what I said then still applies now –there is much more to a winning team than just the driver.

"My No. 48 Lowe's team is the best in the business. I trust that they do their jobs making my Chevy SS safe and fast and, in turn, they trust me to do my job behind the wheel. Winning a sixth championship was amazing and now we are focused on continuing to win races and trying for a seventh.

"Everyone in my family, my crew chief Chad Knaus, everyone at Hendrick Motorsports and Lowe's shares this award with me. I'm honored and humbled. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me!"

Once again, you cast your votes in record numbers for RACER of the Year XIX, and once again the full list of category winners not only reflects the excellence and diversity in our sport, but also confirms that racing's most knowledgeable and passionate fans read RACER and RACER.com. There's a lot more coverage of RACER of the Year XIX in the Spring issue of RACER magazine. To subscribe, CLICK HERE.